See Marketing & Communications

15/06/2026

Quick one... if you have a blog, article or client update languishing on your list because you think you’re the only person who can write it, think again.

Today, I adapted a large document into a short newspaper editorial piece for a commercial law firm. My client made ZERO changes.

That's typical, not the exception.

For the better part of 20 years, I’ve been translating technical know-how into articles, blogs, and corporate communications for accountants, consultants, lawyers, engineers, medical researchers, entomologists and other professionals.

I specialise in B2B services marketing and communications, and I cut my marketing teeth in a chartered accounting firm. Working for nearly a dozen partners across multiple service lines was quite the training ground. Each had their own preferences, audiences, and ideas of what success looked like.

And before you think, “it’ll be too hard to explain, it’s just easier to do it myself”, I can work with surprisingly little:

• a list of short bullet points
• a report, proposal or presentation
• a rambly voice note you’ve dictated into your phone

If the only thing holding you back is the belief that someone without your knowledge can’t help you, this is your sign to check that self-limiting belief at the door. Unless you’d rather that article spend another six months on your to-do list?

PS. Yes, you can use AI. I use it too, and it absolutely speeds things up. But, like any tool, the end result is better in the hands of someone who can write perfectly well without it.

09/06/2026

The struggle is real at business events.

I’m fortunate to only have a gluten intolerance, but many of my coeliac friends don’t eat at business events because the cross-contamination risk just isn’t worth it.

For example:

▫️Gluten-free food should be wrapped
▫️Shared tongs are a big no-no
▫️Fruit/veggies/nuts don’t contain gluten
▫️Rice, potato and most chocolate is fine
▫️Wheat, barley, rye are the culprits. They hide in beer, sauces like soy which are thickened with ‘cornflours’ (usually finely milled wheat), bread, crackers, and baked goods including cakes, pastries and donuts.

Bread aside, there are great GF substitutes for most of these things.

Most caterers and venues have this in hand, but if you’re self-catering, please read up so everyone feels included.

Gluten-free usually isn’t a lifestyle choice (I mean, have you tried gluten-free bread??). For some, it’s a medical necessity.

27/05/2026

MND campaigner Neale Daniher died on what would have been my mother’s 78th birthday.

My Mum passed away from MND in 2021. While we were lucky to have had her for 20 years post-diagnosis, I still wasn’t ready to let her go.

Having seen the toll of this incurable disease firsthand, my thoughts are with his family. My thanks also go to everyone who has supported the MND community through your generosity.

Rest gently, Neale.

14/05/2026

In a conversation with a new connection today, the topic of how I approach storytelling came up.

Hand on heart, I believe how well you string together the words is the secondary skill.

The primary skill is the ability to create a safe space where people feel able to share the parts of their story that reveal something deeper: their strengths, capabilities, resilience and, often, an inspiring approach to life.

Over the years, I’ve written many human interest stories, from people with life-threatening diseases to those with different abilities navigating a world that often isn’t built for them.

Those stories have appeared on websites, in annual reports, fundraising appeals and other communications to give a human face to an organisation’s impact.

💜 You can read one of them, Kaleb's story, via the link in comments.

Every story begins with a conversation.

It takes a human to hear the pause on the call. The lift in energy. The moment someone says something in passing, not realising they’ve just revealed the thread that will sit at the heart of their story.

Gold is rarely found on the surface. Listening for the “I’ll know it when I hear it” moment is the foundation of human connection that can reach out and grab you through a screen, speaker or page.

And while AI can, and does, speed up the written part, it doesn’t offer originality in writing style and can’t handle the subtlety of human nuance – it predicts from patterns in existing data.

There’s a difference between taking up space and using it well.

Is your storytelling communicating what you care about and your impact as well as it could?

05/05/2026

Some of my best ideas happen at 3am. I think today’s is a cracker. I can’t wait to talk to my client. 💡

05/05/2026

Be careful using AI for your database development. AI can emulate reasoning but it doesn’t have judgment.

A startup was left scrambling after a rogue AI agent deleted swaths of code underpinning its business

20/04/2026

Perspective-sharing is one of the most enjoyable aspects of running my business.

With insights across mindset, learning and development, accounting and marketing, I’m looking forward to the next catch up of this crew.

- Darren Fleming, Ben Rogers, Bec Argent and Johanna Herrera.

03/04/2026

Our businesses run better when we make room for downtime.

Since my earliest memories of Mum standing me up on a chair beside her at the kitchen bench, baking has remained one of my favourite ways to switch off.

Today, I tried my hand at baking gluten-free hot cross buns. It wasn’t fast. There were so many ingredients that measuring them out took ages, and the proofing needed to let the dough rise added nearly two hours. But there was something deeply satisfying about the unknowns and near misses too.

This particular weekend seems to hold space for simple, absorbing things.

To all my business owner friends, please resist the urge to check emails, catch up, or do ‘just one thing’ to get ahead.

Whether the weekend holds religious significance for you or not, I hope you’ll take this chance to breathe a little deeper.

Tania

24/03/2026

Sharing a proud little sister moment. 🥰

Congratulations to my big brother, Paul Cavaiuolo, his co-director Mark Martini, and the Shield Fire Systems Team for winning the Australian Fire Industry Alliance Outstanding Member Project Award for the installation of the watermist fire protection system in the Adelaide Heysen Tunnel.

I remember Paul hopping on a plane to research the world-class system for the company’s bid for this contract. The system is the first of its kind in Australia, is effective with far less water than traditional systems, and is now ready to kick in if drivers along the South Eastern Freeway ever need protection.

I was a teenager when Paul and Mark started their business. Two guys, a tiny workshop, a dream. Today, they employ dozens of people, have turned many apprentices into highly-skilled industry professionals, and have forged a strong reputation for reliability, innovation and being decent blokes.

Well done, Paul. You work as hard and downplay your achievements as much as you ever did. Your family is so proud of you.

🔽 Pictured left to right: Mark Martini, Paul Cavaiuolo and Steven Brown accepting the national award at the 2026 Fire Security Expo in Melbourne last week.

03/03/2026

It struck me last night how we largely hear our elected representatives through the curated frame of sound bites and doorstop pressers.

The fireside chat with Tom Koutsantonis MP at Business Builders provided a rare opportunity to better understand the minister and the man.

The conversation covered renewables and hydrogen, housing affordability and supply, and lessons from Whyalla Steelworks. It also touched on what’s ahead for trades and South Australia’s future workforce needs, and the Treasurer’s belief, backed by historical examples, that citizens have the power to hold elected governments to account, regardless of who’s in opposition.

On a more personal level, he also reflected on the interplay of public and family life. Having a recognisable surname hasn’t always been easy for his daughters; unkind comments about their dad sometimes follows the penny drop.

Thanks to Damian Percy and Brenton Gowland for letting the clock run to provide this depth.

Special mention to the thoughtful Ayres House waiter who made sure I had gluten-friendly canapés within easy reach.